Volume Xii Part 8 (1/2)
We continued our course till Sat.u.r.day the 13th, when our lat.i.tude being 50 34' S. and our longitude 68 15' W. the extremes of the land bore from N. 1/2 E. to S.S.W. 1/2 W. and the s.h.i.+p was about five or six miles distant from the sh.o.r.e. Cape Beachy-head, the northermost cape, was found to lie in lat.i.tude 50 16' S. and Cape Fairweather, the southermost cape, in lat.i.tude 50 50' S.
On Sunday the 14th, at four in the morning, Cape Beachy-head bore N.W.
1/2 N. distant about eight leagues; and at noon, our lat.i.tude being 50 52' S. and longitude 68 10' W. Penguin island bore N. 35 E. distant 68 leagues. We were six leagues from the sh.o.r.e, and the extremes of the land were from N.W. to W.S.W.
At eight o'clock in the morning of Monday the 15th, being about six miles from the sh.o.r.e, the extremes of the land bore from S. by E. to N.
by E. and the entrance of the river St Croix S.W. 1/2 W. We had twenty fathom quite cross the opening, the distance from point to point being about seven miles, and afterwards keeping at the distance of about four miles from each cape, we had from twenty-two to twenty-four fathom. The land on the north sh.o.r.e is high, and appears in three capes; that on the south sh.o.r.e is low and flat. At seven in the evening, Cape Fairweather bore S.W. 1/2 S. distant about four leagues, a low point running out from it S.S.W. 3/4 W. We stood off and on all night, and had from thirty to twenty-two fathom water, with a bottom of sand and mud. At seven the next morning, Tuesday the 16th, we shoaled gradually into twelve fathom, with a bottom of fine sand, and soon after into six; we then hauled off S.E. by S. somewhat more than a mile: then steered east five miles, then E. by N. and deepened into twelve fathom. Cape Fairweather at this time bore W. 1/2 S. distant four leagues, and the northermost extremity of the land W.N.W. When we first came into shoal water, Cape Fairweather bore W. 1/2 N. and a low point without it W.S.W. distant about four miles. At noon Cape Fairweather bore W.N.W. 1/2 W. distant six leagues, and a large hummock S.W. 1/2 W. distant seven leagues. At this time our lat. was 51 32' W. long. 68 W.
At one o'clock, being about two leagues distant from the sh.o.r.e, the extremes of three remarkable round hills bore from S.W. by W. to W.S.W.
At four, Cape Virgin Mary bore S.E. by S. distant about four leagues. At eight, we were very near the Cape, and upon the point of it saw several men riding, who made signs for us to come on sh.o.r.e. In about half an hour we anch.o.r.ed in a bay, close under the south side of the Cape, in ten fathom water, with a gravelly bottom. The Swallow and store-s.h.i.+p anch.o.r.ed soon after between us and the Cape, which then bore N. by W.
1/2 W. and a low sandy point like Dungeness S. by W. From the Cape there runs a shoal, to the distance of about half a league, which may be easily known by the weeds that are upon it. We found it high water at half an hour after eleven, and the tide rose twenty feet.
The natives continued abreast of the s.h.i.+p all night, making several great fires, and frequently shouting very loud. As soon as it was light, on Wednesday morning the 17th, we saw great numbers of them in motion, who made signs for us to land. About five o'clock I made the signal for the boats belonging to the Swallow and the Prince Frederick to come on board, and in the meantime hoisted out our own. These boats being all manned and armed, I took a party of marines, and rowed towards the sh.o.r.e, having left orders with the master to bring the s.h.i.+p's broad-side to bear upon the landing place, and to keep the guns loaded with round shot. We reached the beach about six o'clock, and before we went from the boat, I made signs to the natives to retire to some distance: They immediately complied, and I then landed with the Captain of the Swallow, and several of the officers: The marines were drawn up, and the boats were brought to a grappling near the sh.o.r.e. I then made signs to the natives to come near, and directed them to sit down in a semicircle, which they did with great order and cheerfulness. When this was done, I distributed among them several knives, scissars, b.u.t.tons, beads, combs, and other toys, particularly some ribbands to the women, which they received with a very becoming mixture of pleasure and respect. Having distributed my presents, I endeavoured to make them understand that I had other things which I would part with, but for which I expected somewhat in return. I shewed them some hatchets and bill-hooks, and pointed to some guanicoes, which happened to be near, and some ostriches which I saw dead among them; making signs at the same time I wanted to eat; but they either could not, or would not understand me: For though they seemed very desirous of the hatchets and the bill-hooks, they did not give the least intimation that they would part with any provisions; no traffic therefore was carried on between us.
Each of these people, both men and women, had a horse, with a decent saddle, stirrups, and bridle. The men had wooden spurs, except one, who had a large pair of such as are worn in Spain, bra.s.s stirrups, and a Spanish scymitar, without a scabbard; but notwithstanding these distinctions, he did not appear to have any authority over the rest; the women had no spurs. The horses appeared to be well-made, and nimble, and were about fourteen hands high. The people had also many dogs with them, which, as well as the horses, appeared to be of a Spanish breed.
As I had two measuring rods with me, we went round and measured those that appeared to be tallest among them. One of these was six feet six inches high, several more were six feet five, and six feet six inches; but the stature of the greater part of them was from five feet ten to six feet. Their complexion is a dark copper-colour, like that of the Indians in North America; their hair is straight, and nearly as harsh as hog's bristles: It is tied back with a cotton string, but neither s.e.x wears any head-dress. They are well-made, robust, and bony; but their hands and feet are remarkably small. They are clothed with the skins of the guanico, sewed together into pieces about six feet long and five wide: These are wrapped round the body, and fastened with a girdle, with the hairy side inwards; some of them had also what the Spaniards have called a _puncho_, a square piece of cloth made of the downy hair of the guanico, through which a hole being cut for the head, the rest hangs round them about as low as the knee. The guanico is an animal that in size, make, and colour, resembles a deer, but it has a hump on its back, and no horns. These people wear also a kind of drawers, which they pull up very tight, and buskins, which reach from the mid-leg to the instep before, and behind are brought under the heel; the rest of the foot is without any covering. We observed that some of the men, had a circle painted round the left eye, and that others were painted on their arms, and on different parts of the face; the eye-lids of all the young women were painted black. They talked much, and some of them called out Ca-pi-ta-ne; but when they were spoken to in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Dutch, they made no reply. Of their own language we could distinguish only one word, which was _chevow_: We supposed it to be a salutation, as they always p.r.o.nounced it when they shook hands with us, and when, by signs, they asked us to give them any thing. When they were spoken to in English, they repeated the words after us as plainly as we could do; and they soon got by heart the words, ”Englishmen come on sh.o.r.e.” Every one had a missile weapon of a singular kind, tucked into the girdle. It consisted of two round stones, covered with leather, each weighing about a pound, which were fastened to the two ends of a string about eight feet long. This is used as a sling, one stone being kept in the hand, and the other whirled round the head till it is supposed to have acquired sufficient force, and then discharged at the object. They are so expert in the management of this double-headed shot, that they will hit a mark, not bigger than a s.h.i.+lling, with both the stones, at the distance of fifteen yards; it is not their custom, however, to strike either the guanico or the ostrich with them in the chase, but they discharge them so that the cord comes against the legs of the ostrich, or two of the legs of the guanico, and is twisted round them by the force of the swing of the b.a.l.l.s, so that the animal being unable to run, becomes an easy prey to the hunter.
[Ill.u.s.tration: CHART of the SANDWICH ISLANDS]
While we stayed on sh.o.r.e, we saw them eat some of their flesh-meat raw, particularly the paunch of an ostrich, without any other preparation or cleaning than just turning it inside out, and shaking it. We observed among them several beads, such as I gave them, and two pieces of red baize, which we supposed had been left there, or in the neighbouring country, by Commodore Byron.
After I had spent about four hours with these people, I made signs to them that I was going on board, and that I would take some of them with me if they were desirous to go. As soon as I had made myself understood, above an hundred eagerly offered to visit the s.h.i.+p; but I did not chuse to indulge more than eight of the number. They jumped into the boats with the joy and alacrity of children going to a fair, and, having no intention of mischief against us, had not the least suspicion that we intended any mischief against them. They sung several of their country songs while they were in the boat, and when they came on board did not express either the curiosity or wonder which the multiplicity of objects, to them equally strange and stupendous, that at once presented themselves, might be supposed to excite. I took them down into the cabin, where they looked about them with an unaccountable indifference, till one of them happened to cast his eyes upon a looking-gla.s.s: This, however, excited no more astonishment than the prodigies which offer themselves to our imagination in a dream, when we converse with the dead, fly in the air, and walk upon the sea, without reflecting that the laws of nature are violated; but it afforded them infinite diversion: They advanced, retreated, and played a thousand tricks before it, laughing violently, and talking with great emphasis to each other. I gave them some beef, pork, biscuit, and other articles of the s.h.i.+p's provisions: They eat indiscriminately whatever was offered to them, but they would drink nothing but water. From the cabin I carried them all over the s.h.i.+p, but they looked at nothing with much attention, except the animals which we had on board as live stock: They examined the hogs and sheep with some curiosity, and were exceedingly delighted with the Guinea hens and turkies; they did not seem to desire any thing that they saw except our apparel, and only one of them, an old man, asked for that: We gratified him with a pair of shoes and buckles, and to each of the others I gave a canva.s.s bag, in which I put some needles ready threaded, a few slips of cloth, a knife, a pair of scissars, some twine, a few beads, a comb, and a looking-gla.s.s, with some new sixpences and half-pence, through which a hole had been drilled, that was fitted with a ribband to hang round the neck. We offered them some leaves of tobacco, rolled up into what are called segars, and they smoked a little, but did not seem fond of it. I showed them the great guns, but they did not appear to have any notion of their use. After I had carried them through the s.h.i.+p, I ordered the marines to be drawn up, and go through part of their exercise. When the first volley was fired, they were struck with astonishment and terror; the old man, in particular, threw himself down upon the deck, pointed to the muskets, and then striking his breast with his hand, lay some time motionless, with his eyes shut: By this we supposed he intended to shew us that he was not unacquainted with fire-arms, and their fatal effect. The rest, seeing our people merry, and finding themselves unhurt, soon resumed their cheerfulness and good humour, and heard the second and third volley fired without much emotion; but the old man continued prostrate upon the deck some time, and never recovered his spirits till the firing was over. About noon, the tide being out, I acquainted them by signs that the s.h.i.+p was proceeding farther, and that they must go on sh.o.r.e: This I soon perceived they were very unwilling to do; all, however, except the old man and one more, were got into the boat without much difficulty; but these stopped at the gang-way, where the old man turned about, and went aft to the companion ladder, where he stood some time without speaking a word; he then uttered what we supposed to be a prayer; for he many times lifted up his hands and his eyes to the heavens, and spoke in a manner and tone very different from what we had observed in their conversation: His orison seemed to be rather sung than said, so that we found it impossible to distinguish one word from another. When I again intimated that it was proper for him to go into the boat, he pointed to the sun, and then moving his hand round to the west, he paused, looked in my face, laughed, and pointed to the sh.o.r.e: By this it was easy to understand that he wished to stay on board till sunset, and I took no little pains to convince him that we could not stay so long upon that part of the coast, before he could be prevailed upon to go into the boat; at length, however, he went over the s.h.i.+p's side with his companion, and when the boat put off they all began to sing, and continued their merriment till they got on sh.o.r.e. When they landed, great numbers of those on sh.o.r.e pressed eagerly to get into the boat; but the officer on board, having positive orders to bring none of them off, prevented them, though not without great difficulty, and apparently to their extreme mortification and disappointment.
When the boat returned on board, I sent her off again with the master, to sound the shoal that runs off from the point: He found it about three miles broad from north to south, and that to avoid it, it was necessary to keep four miles off the cape, in twelve or thirteen fathom water.
SECTION II.
_The Pa.s.sage through the Streight of Magellan, with some further Account of the Patagonians, and a Description of the Coast on each side, and its Inhabitants._
About one o'clock, on Wednesday the 17th of December, I made the signal and weighed, ordering the Swallow to go a-head, and the store-s.h.i.+p to bring up the rear. The wind was right against us, and blew fresh; so that we were obliged to turn into the Streight of Magellan with the flood-tide, between Cape Virgin Mary and the Sandy Point that resembles Dungeness. When we got a-breast of this Point, we stood close into the sh.o.r.e, where we saw two guanicoes, and many of the natives on horseback, who seemed to be in pursuit of them: When the hors.e.m.e.n came near, they ran up the country at a great rate, and were pursued by the hunters, with their slings in their hands ready for the cast; but neither of them was taken while they were within the reach of our sight.
When we got about two leagues to the west of Dungeness, and were standing off sh.o.r.e, we fell in with a shoal upon which we had but seven fathom water at half flood; This obliged us to make short tacks, and keep continually heaving the lead. At half an hour after eight in the evening, we anch.o.r.ed about three miles from the sh.o.r.e, in 20 fathom, with a muddy bottom: Cape Virgin Mary then bearing N.E. by E. 1/2 E.; Point Possession W. 1/2 S. at the distance of about five leagues.
About half an hour after we had cast anchor, the natives made several large fires a-breast of the s.h.i.+p, and at break of day we saw about four hundred of them encamped in a fine green valley, between two hills, with their horses feeding beside them. About six o'clock in the morning, the tide being done, we got again under sail: Its course here is from east to west; it rises and falls thirty feet, and its strength is equal to about three knots an hour. About noon there being little wind, and the ebb running with great force, the Swallow, which was a-head, made the signal and came to an anchor; upon which I did the same, and so did the store-s.h.i.+p that was a-stern.
As we saw great numbers of the natives on horseback a-breast of the s.h.i.+p, and as Captain Carteret informed me that this was the place where Commodore Byron had the conference with the tall men, I sent the lieutenants of the Swallow and the store-s.h.i.+p to the sh.o.r.e, but with orders not to land, as the s.h.i.+ps were at too great a distance to protect them. When these gentlemen returned, they told me, that the boat having lain upon her oars very near the beach, the natives came down in great numbers; whom they knew to be the same persons they had seen the day before, with many others, particularly women and children; that when they perceived our people had no design to land, they seemed to be greatly disappointed, and those who had been on board the s.h.i.+p waded off to the boat, making signs for it to advance, and p.r.o.nouncing the words they had been taught, ”Englishmen come on sh.o.r.e,” very loud, many times; that when they found they could not get the people to land, they would fain have got into the boat, and that it was with great difficulty they were prevented. That they presented them with some bread, tobacco, and a few toys, pointing at the same time to some guanicoes and ostriches, and making signs that they wanted them as provisions, but that they could not make themselves understood; that finding they could obtain no refreshment, they rowed along the sh.o.r.e in search of fresh water, but that, seeing no appearance of a rivulet, they returned on board.
At six o'clock the next morning, we weighed, the Swallow being still a-head, and at noon we anch.o.r.ed in Possession Bay, having twelve fathom, with a clean sandy bottom. Point Possession at this time bore east, distant three leagues; the a.s.ses Ears west, and the entrance of the Narrows S.W. 1/2 W.: The bottom of the bay, which was the nearest land to the s.h.i.+p, was distant about three miles. We saw a great number of Indians upon the Point, and at night, large fires on the Terra del Fuego sh.o.r.e.
From this time, to the 22d, we had strong gales and heavy seas, so that we got on but slowly; and we now anch.o.r.ed in 18 fathom, with a muddy bottom. The a.s.ses Ears bore N.W. by W. 1/2 W. Point Possession N.E. by E. and the point of the Narrows, on the south side, S.S.W. distant between three and four leagues. In this situation, our longitude, by observation, was 70 20' W. lat.i.tude 52 30' S. The tide here sets S.E.
by S. and N.E. by N. at the rate of about three knots an hour; the water rises four-and-twenty feet, and at this time it was high water at four in the morning.
In the morning of the 23d, we made sail, turning to windward, but the tide was so strong, that the Swallow was set one way, the Dolphin another, and the store-s.h.i.+p a third: There was a fresh breeze, but not one of the vessels would answer her helm. We had various soundings, and saw the rippling in the middle ground: In these circ.u.mstances, sometimes backing, sometimes filling, we entered the first Narrows. About six o'clock in the evening, the tide being done, we anch.o.r.ed on the south sh.o.r.e, in forty fathom with a sandy bottom; the Swallow anch.o.r.ed on the north sh.o.r.e, and the store-s.h.i.+p not a cable's length from a sand-bank, about two miles to the eastward. The streight here is only three miles wide, and at midnight, the tide being slack, we weighed and towed the s.h.i.+p through. A breeze sprung up soon afterwards, which continued till seven in the morning, and then died away. We steered from the first Narrows to the second S.W. and had nineteen fathom, with a muddy bottom.
At eight we anch.o.r.ed two leagues from the sh.o.r.e, in 24 fathom, Cape Gregory bearing W. 1/2 N. and Sweepstakes Foreland S.W. 1/2 W. The tide here ran seven knots an hour, and such _bores_ sometimes came down, with immense quant.i.ties of weeds, that we expected every moment to be adrift.
The next day, being Christmas day, we sailed through the second Narrows.
In turning through this part of the Streight we had twelve fathom within half a mile of the sh.o.r.e on each side, and in the middle seventeen fathom, twenty-two fathom, and no ground. At five o'clock in the evening, the s.h.i.+p suddenly shoaled from seventeen fathom to five, St Bartholomew's island then bearing S. 1/2 W. distant between three and four miles, and Elizabeth's Island S.S.W. 1/2 W. distant five or six miles. About half an hour after eight o'clock, the weather being rainy and tempestuous, we anch.o.r.ed under Elizabeth's island in twenty-four fathom, with hard gravelly ground. Upon this island we found great quant.i.ties of celery, which, by the direction of the surgeon, was given to the people, with boiled wheat and portable soup, for breakfast every morning. Some of the officers who went a-sh.o.r.e with their guns, saw two small dogs, and several places where fires had been recently made, with many fresh sh.e.l.ls of mussels and limpets lying about them: They saw also several wigwams or huts, consisting of young trees, which, being sharpened at one end, and thrust into the ground in a circular form, the other ends were brought to meet, and fastened together at the top; but they saw none of the natives.